Spread3D - Create interactive 3D Presentations

GITsro · 16 Jul 2012, 17:53

We are using Spread3D (Pro version) for our business webpage to enable customers and interested parties to watch 3D models of houses and roofs without the need to install (and/or to learn how to use) SketchUp. After the first weeks of experience, we can just state, that it's amazing easy to use (for the publisher and for the user on the webpage), and the feedback from our customers is a hundred percent positive one. Spread3D is just the tool, which we were missing, since we use SketchUp for drafting and designing roof constructions or buildings. Even it's the first version, for us there are no bugs or problems known until now. For us, totally worth the money - and the support is helpful and stunning fast. We simply can recommend this tool 100%.

@hfm said:

...the bigger models stutter across the screen and the walk through feature leaves your camera shaking.

This happens to me also on my notebook (especially when it's connected to my external screen with 1680x1050), but on my office machine (even with on-board GPU!) all is fine, and even in complex models I get fully smooth animation. On both machines is running the newest FlashPlayer, so I suspect, that the FlashPlayer doesn't support some notebook GPUs fully (if so, it's out of influence of the Spread3D makers...).

jcchambers · 16 Jul 2012, 17:58

I'm very impressed with Laurent's work (and his quick willingness to assist new users). I'm planning construction of a new home in another state. This tool allows me to show prospective building contractors my thoughts on the plan. I can also easily keep the family, located in other parts of the country, up to date on how the plan is shaping up.

Many of these folks don't have sketchup or viewer and aren't necessarily willing to install it just to view my drawing. And I don't have to email changes to everyone. I just upload latest plan and everyone with the link can stay up to date. (Kind of wish it would work on my android tablet, but guess it doesn't have the right version of flash)

I haven't figured out how to use the walk/look around tool in sketchup (maybe I need a joystick or something), so don't even try in Spread3D. The results are plenty detailed enough to display my plans.

Thanks Laurent!

JClements · 16 Jul 2012, 18:14

I have been testing it on some models I have created for equipment used in water treatment plants (with piping, pumps, concrete channels, even Google Earth imagery) and experimented a bit with embedding the viewer into a web page via iFrames. I am just a neophyte in web page creation and do not use any sophisticated software (Xara) for making web pages but the results worked (I only have had issues an IE-8 bug when displaying multiple frames on one page). I have been very pleased overall and compared to other products which import models into PDF formats. I find the ease of use and rendering far better.

Some of the distinctive pluses:

1- Lighting settings (reflectivity, sun position, and ambient lighting ) yield attractive results; better than the SU viewer. It is very intuitive and fast to set up.

2- Password protection and Copyright notification. This is something I have wanted to do for a few years when allowing models to be viewed. Although I suppose it is not totally hack-proof, it is a real asset for marketing product or giving designs to clients for review. You don't have to let the SketchUp model out of your hands.

3- I believe 3D sound could have a lot of potential for giving non-text narrative or adding "ambiance" to a model scene.

4- Pre-canned animations is a nice feature and, unlike the SU Viewer, it doesn't require explaining to the user where to find the animation function in a menu NOR are you RESTRICTED to just one animation sequence of the entire model.

5- The camera transitions between scenes seem to be much smoother than the viewer.

6- Company branding via importing logos (with positioning options) and assigning hyperlinks to them is more icing on the cake.

7- Templates, although only two are available now, has a lot of potential for building a model presentation more targeted for specific clients. I'd hope to see more templates in the near future. May be there would be a way to build your own template/UI.

8- Simple control of the width of edges or turning off edge display completely without have to change settings in the SketchUp model.

9- Prompt and attentive customer support.

Regards, John

Trogluddite · 17 Jul 2012, 08:15

@laurent diaz said:

Do you mind sharing one model (or a part of it) having the issue to our support mail address (support at spread3d.com)?

I'll see if I can post an example - just need to check with boss/clients first as the models are not truly mine to share.
Think you're right about the format. After checking a few more models, it seems that some of our stock company logo images etc. are the tricksy ones - if I convert them from TIFF to JPEG and re-texture, the models work just fine (the TIFFs are very old, I have no idea if they have any compression applied).

bsusala · 11 Sept 2012, 00:38

Awesome tool, I've done an "experience" in some minutes... Amazing. Would be even more amazing if would exist some sort of Interaction tool, though. Is it in your development plans?

Laurent Diaz · 12 Sept 2012, 06:36

@bsusala said:

Awesome tool, I've done an "experience" in some minutes... Amazing. Would be even more amazing if would exist some sort of Interaction tool, though. Is it in your development plans?

Nice to know you like Spread3D!

What do you need in term of interaction?
As of today in the Pro version, you have more navigation tools and you can create buttons opening an image, a webpage, changing the viewpoint or playing an animation (moving objects and/or camera). Our next steps will be to add components selection and more specific interactions for walkthrough.

Let me know if you have some other ideas!

bsusala · 12 Sept 2012, 20:19

By interaction I meant like the "Interact with Dynamic Component" Tool. Okay, sorry, I didn't read thoroughly that in the Pro version does exist that. That's excellent! Being able to post online the status of a project, and present it with an interactive navigation, is priceless and a very very effective presentation. BTW, I do not know any other tool doing that, and in such a simple way - really excellent work. I'll post here any new improvement idea it may arise, first of all I want to use Spread3D extensively to see its capabilities.

Laurent Diaz · 13 Sept 2012, 06:52

Looking forward to getting your feedback!

If you want to test the export fully in Spread3D Pro (the trial doesn't let you export), you can contact me. I will give you a temporary license.

markpyvi · 25 Sept 2012, 16:19

Not sure, so I ask. Is this all possible with tablets/mobilephones? I mean: creating file from my SU model in my desktop PC and my clients can view/observe it in his tablet/mobile phone?

JClements · 25 Sept 2012, 16:32

For those attending the BaseCamp 2012 in Boulder, I have a license for Spread3DPro and it is my intention to bring a laptop with it installed for anyone interested trying it out.